I’m not a vegetarian. I’ll admit it–I like meat, and I’m proud! But meat is expensive, and I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing you can eat. I’m also pretty frugal (some say cheapskate, tightwad–those aren’t perjorative terms to me), and reducing the amount of meat you eat is about the best way to cut your budget. So I’ve had this recipe for meatless “hamburgers” for several years now, having first read it in The Tightwad Gazette, which is the bible of frugality. (If you’re looking for ways to cut corners, I guarantee you will find it here.) While I’ve been tempted to try it, it just never seemed like the right time, or I’d forget, or not have one of the ingredients on hand, or my husband was home and I wasn’t sure he’d like it….. But today, everything worked out just fine–I have everything, I remembered everything, and I was stuck home with the kids. This recipe is amazing! I might tweak the flavor a tad (I didn’t *quite* follow the recipe, so that might account for some of it), but it was really good! The most amazing thing to me is the “meatiness” of the burger–even though there is absolutely no meat in it. In the book, Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced “decision”) said that this is one of the two vegetarian recipes they developed that pleased the die-hard carnivores that tried it.

So here it is (and I’m hoping I’m not breaking copyright laws, or at least, that it will be overlooked by the plug for the book, because it is about the most amazing book I’ve ever read on pinching pennies–and making it fun!):

Lentil Burgers2 c. cooked lentil-bulgur mixture2 c. bread crumbs1 c. chopped onion½ c. chopped green pepper4 Tbsp. mixed Italian herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, etc.)4 cloves garlic (4 tsp. powdered garlic)2 eggs (or soy flour subst.)½ c. milkMix first six ingredients (lentil-bulgur mixture is made of equal parts lentils and bulgur wheat—simmer one part of this mixture with 2 parts water for 45 minutes). Mix in eggs. Add milk and mix well. Chill ½ hour. Make into patties and fry 10 minutes per side, or bake on cookie sheet at 350º for 10 minutes each side.That’s it! You’ll need 1/2 c. each of lentils & bulgur wheat for the quantity in this recipe; to substitute soy flour, use 1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour & 1 tablespoon of water for each egg. I’d be willing to bet that you could use water in place of the milk, or use soy milk, or use a little extra soy flour with more water, and these would be vegan burgers. I used onion powder and omitted the chopped green pepper because I figured my kids wouldn’t like the texture; and I just used “Italian seasoning” because I had that on hand, and it was easier than pulling out the individual spices. This quantity made 8 good-sized burgers that didn’t shrink, so could be stretched even further, especially if you have kids. And they were filling.